Today is the first day of the National Cannabis Festival, which has grown to a two-day event. The festival celebrates progress on cannabis legalization in the District and across the nation with concert performances, exhibits and vendors.
On Friday, April 19, Thundercat will headline the show with gates opening at 3 p.m. The show will end at 10 p.m.. Day one will expect 12,000 attendees. On Saturday, April 20, Wu-Tang Clan featuring Redman, will headline the final night. Event time for day two is from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and will expect 20,000 attendees.
But there’s more: next week Project GLOW will return for a third year, on Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28. The event features some of EDM’s biggest headliners. On both days, doors open at 1:00 p.m. and end at 11:00 p.m., with 20,000 expected attendees for both days.
In the past, these events have been the subject of intense community concern; in 2022, the DMV heard a great deal of Project Glow due to an inversion –an increase in air temperature with height. That pocket of warm air acted like a ceiling that sound bounced off; it meant the EDM festival could be heard more than three miles away.
Direct Phone Line
This year, Events DC has established a direct phone line for the community to call about their concerns, from traffic to trash: call 202-249-3400. (Events DC reminds folks to call 911 for emergencies).
Events DC says the direct line will be staffed and hour before gates open and an hour after they close on every day there is an outdoor festival.
The two festivals mean The Fields at RFK will be closed to the public on Friday, April 19, Saturday, April 20, Saturday, April 27, and Sunday April, 28. The festival entrance is at the pavillion.
Fencing has been placed around the Anacostia River Trail, Independence Avenue and C Street. There will be temporary access closures around Lots 5, 7 (near Field 3) and 8 during event days. However, the access points to the trail will remain open from The Fields (between Fields 1, 2, and 3) and Benning Rd.
You can expect high volumes of pedestrian and vehicular traffic around RFK Campus during during event times and at least until 11 p.m. on both days. Events DC says MPD Special Operations Division and DDOT Traffic Control Officers will be placed around the campus to manage traffic and pedestrian crosswalks.
Learn more about Events DC, see the list of events at RFK Campus, and sign up for the mailing list at eventsdc.com.
